"Uh… hey, Vik?" V spoke into her holophone. "Any chance I could… um… stop by for an emergency visit?"
"What did you do?" Vik asked.
"I, uh… got shot… in the shoulder."
"Finally took a hit on the job?" Vik chuckled.
"Heh. Yea… yea…"V tried to smile. Anything to prevent herself from crying. "Looked away for a second, and got popped in the left shoulder blade."
"Is that it? You sound like you're in a lot of pain."
"I'm fine." V tried to brush off the doctor's concern. However, she was mentally cursing herself for not keeping it together better. "I have something in my left side, too. I think it's a shotgun pellet."
"Left shoulder and left side. Did you already apply bandages?" Vik asked.
"I got one on my shoulder. I think the bleeding stopped."
"Good to hear. My schedule is open for the next couple hours. If you hurry, I can get you stitched up in a jiffy."
"Thanks, Vik. On my way."
V hung up, and slid the phone into her right pocket. Taking one last look around Jackie's room, she picked up her bag with her right hand and walked down the steps. At the bottom, she paused just long enough to drop the bag and toss her house key on the coffee table. The green woman let out a sigh. This was the one place she ever felt some kind of normalcy. This was where V was part of a family. That was gone now. Only thing she could do was move on. She picked her bag and went for the door.
Stepping outside, she was greeted by the happy-go-lucky nomad she had no patience for at the moment.
"Hey, V," Wander greeted appearing unusually shy. "You feelin' alright?"
"Leave me alone," V groaned. She stepped around the orange fuzz ball and started making her way down the sidewalk.
"Told you," Sylvia deadpanned. Despite her lack of enthusiasm, she followed Wander and V.
"Oh, come on now," Wander said. "We can't help you with your problems if you don't talk to us."
"Who said I wanted your help?" V spat.
"Well guess what, Dominator," Sylvia said, speeding up to walk next to V.
"Don't call me that," V griped, but Sylvia continued.
"Guadalupe asked us to keep an eye on you, and we intend to do just that."
"That's a load of dog grop," V accused. "Why would Mama Welles care about me? My presence has caused nothing but trouble for her."
"Lupé doesn't see it that way," Wander smiled. "I bet if you asked, she would say you are like a daughter to her. And a good mama always protects her children."
"Ok, so you two are just delusional freaks," V said. "I should have figured that one out sooner."
"We're not crazy," Sylvia said. "And whether you like it or not, we are going to help you. How long do you honestly expect to last now that everyone knows who you are?"
V didn't respond right away and just kept walking. She didn't want to admit it, but the Zbornak was right. Word travels quickly over the Net. She gave it 24 hours tops before everyone in Night City watched one of the multiple recordings that would enviably be making the rounds. It would be a crapshoot as to who would avoid her, who would try to cut a deal with her, and who would try to kill her. In short, she was fucked.
"Ghah, fine!" V yelled through gritted teeth. "I accept your help."
"Really?" Wander and Sylvia asked in unison. Wander was ecstatic at her response, but Sylvia was just flabbergasted.
"Yes, really," V sighed. "But I have two conditions. You call me V, and you follow my orders. I don't feel like letting you dunces walk me into a raging cyberpsycho. Until I have a plan, we are going to lay low as best we can."
"Deal," Sylvia held out her hand, which V shook after dropping her bag.
"Oh, man! This is going to be so much fun!" Wander cheered, much to V's annoyance. "We're going to explore the city, and help people, and make tons of friends! Let's go, new buddy!" He reached out and grabbed V's left hand, and tried to pull her along.
"Ahhh! Ow! Ow!" V screamed. Wander immediately let go, allowing her to cradle her shoulder.
"Sorry! Maybe I can patch you up?" Wander try to reach into his hat, but was kicked away by V.
"No! You dumbass!" V was panting, trying to push the pain away. "Crop that hurt."
"You ok?" Sylvia asked, legitimate concert in her voice.
"I'm fine," V glared at her. "I need to get to my ripperdoc."
"Your what now?"
"An actual flarping doctor. Not some random idiot with a magic hat."
"He was just trying to help," Sylvia scolded, gesturing to Wander. He had picked himself up and was brushing dirt out of his fur.
"Doesn't make it hurt any less. Now let me hop on. If you dorks are gonna hang around me, you can at least make yourselves useful."
"Oh, alright," Sylvia said and helped V onto her saddle.
"Wander, grab my backpack," V commanded.
"Sure thing," Wander said with cheer as he grabbed the bag. He hopped on Sylvia's back, practically sitting in V's lap with a little too much enthusiasm.
"I suddenly have a lot more sympathy for Hater," V mumbled to herself. "Alright, Zbornak. Let's hit the road. I'll guide you, and try not to get us ran over."
"I have a name, you know," Sylvia complained.
"Whatever. Sylvia, let's go."
With V's guidance, Sylvia was able to easily swerve through traffic to the north end of Corpo Plaza. Not wanting to attract the NCPD, V made a point to keep them off the highways. She instead chose to take one of the smaller bridges into Watson. They would probably be seen by more bystanders that way, but it was a tradeoff that had to be made. Once across the bridge, the pristine shine of corporate skyscrapers was replaced with the oriental sights and sounds of Little China. They were only a hop, skip, and a jump away from Vik's Clinic.
"V?" Sylvia scratched her head, staring at the dancing Earthlings in the pink-lit windows. "Are you sure this is the right place?"
"That's a dollhouse, not a clinic," V said, sliding off Sylvia's back with Wander.
"Ok, what's a dollhouse?"
"Don't ask. You don't want to know." V led the two nomads down the street to Misty's Esoterica, cradling her left arm to dull the pain. "This is the place."
"Hey, V," Misty greeted with a small smile. Her smile grew into beaming happiness when she saw the two other aliens. "And you brought friends!"
"THEY'RE NOT MY FRIENDS!" V shouted without thinking. She gathered herself when Misty recoiled at her yelling. "Sorry. Long day."
"Hiya, cutie," Wander winked as he walked up to Misty, to which the woman had to hold in a laugh. "Folks call me Wander. This is my pal Sylvia. We are pleased to make your acquaintance." He finished off his greeting with a bow and tip of the hat.
"Nice to meet you," Misty giggled, offering her hand to the short, orange alien. "I'm Misty, one of V's friends."
"That's so nice to hear," Wander smiled as he shook Misty's hand. "I was scared that V didn't have anyone after what hap-"
"YEP!" V interrupted, forcing a smile. "Everyone knows everyone now!" She then turned to Wander, glaring daggers into his soul. "If you so much as hint at what happened at the bar, I will skin you alive and use your pelt to scrub toilet stains." V muttered the Galactic language through angry teeth, her threat causing Wander to shrink back in terror. "That goes for both of you," she finished by addressing the Zbornak who glared in response.
"What is wrong with you?" Misty scolded, not understanding why V was scaring Wander.
"I told you, it's been a long day," V responded, grabbing her bag from Wander's hand. "And having to tote these two annoyances around isn't helping. So if you would be so kind as to entertain them while I get a bullet removed, that would be grand."
"No!" Misty moved to stand between V and the door leading to Vik's Clinic. "Not until you tell me why you are acting like some... some…"
"Devil?" V finished for her.
"Yes!"
V sighed, slouching her shoulders. "We… a job went bad, ok? I was lucky to make it out alive."
"What about Jackie?" Misty asked, suddenly filled with dread.
"He's fine," V waved off her concern. "A bit bruised. He's just… in a really bad mood right now."
"That's an understatement," Wander mumbled, but his voice was plenty loud enough to be heard by V and Misty. The green merc's eye snapped to him, ready to shred his body into tiny pieces. "B-but, I'm sure he'll be better after a good night's rest."
"Well…" Misty hesitated, not sure how to respond. She knew they were hiding something from her, but also knew V wasn't going to budge. "If you're sure everything is alright." She stepped aside to let V out the back. The edgerunner marched off without another word.
"The muscle is torn, but it's a clean wound otherwise," Vik observed as he examined V's shoulder wound. He had already removed the bullet, and was deciding on the best way to seal the hole. "It will be sore for a while, but you seem to heal fast. I'll need to take a scan to make sure the bone isn't fractured."
"Uh… are you sure that's necessary?" V asked. She was currently topless, lying on her stomach with her entire left side medicinally numbed.
"I don't have an x-ray camera. Only other way to properly examine you is with a scan." Vik began to stich up the bullet wound, but paused when a thought occurred to him. "Why don't you want the scan done? I thought you found them interesting."
"I'm just in a bit of a rush," V said.
"Wow… Nice lie, idiot."
V's face scrunched up in confusion. For a second, she thought she heard a female voice call her a liar. She shook it off as a figment of her imagination. It had been a stressful day. Once she had some food in her system and some rest, her mind would be clear again.
"What's the hurry?" Vik chuckled. "I hope you don't have another job lined up. You're gonna be stuck working El Coyote till this shoulder heals."
"Oh, nothing like that," V said, trying to hide the sad hitch in her voice. "I ran into some other aliens, and kinda dropped them on Misty. I don't want to leave her stuck with them too long."
"Mm hm. Yea. Keep telling yourself that."
There was that voice again. V made a point to not physically react, but it was starting to scare her. Now that the Warrior's Bond was broken, her mind was going to try to compensate. Her brain would be unpredictable for a short while till it adjusted. Perhaps that was what it was doing now. Without an outside voice to connect to, her subconscious was picking up the slack.
"V?"
"What?" V snapped back to reality, Vik's voice guiding her to the present moment.
"I asked you to turn on your side. Need to get that pellet out," Vik said.
"Right. Sorry. Dosed off for a second," V lied as she turned onto her right side. She didn't bother covering herself. Viktor was a doctor after all. He had seen plenty of bodies. And he had detailed scans of V's anatomy, so it wasn't like a pair of green nipples would distract someone as professional as him.
"Is something bothering you?" Vik asked as he looked over the small would in V's side. "It's not my area of expertise, but you seem off-kilter."
"It's been a rough day. Job went bad, but we made it out alive."
"Still sticking with that story? Crop, when did you become so lame?"
V did her best to ignore the voice in her head. She kept telling herself it was normal and would go away after she got some sleep. She just needed to keep her head straight for a few more hours. Once she was in a motel, the alien girl could crash.
Vik had her side wound cleaned and glued shut in just a few minutes. He still wanted to do a scan, but V refused. She insisted that she had to go, and that they could do the scan another day. As compromise, the merc promised her doctor that she would wear the sling he gave her. That way she would keep her shoulder immobile, and it could heal properly. V paid Vik and thanked him for his help.
V was marching up the steps out of Vik's clinic when she froze. Standing at the top of the steps was Lord Dominator, staring down at her with a furious yet disappointed glare.
"Hey, remember me?" Dominator asked in her sarcastic, sing-song voice. "We used to demolish planets together? You know, back when we were cool and didn't make a habit of befriending useless imbeciles?"
V stared in shock, her mouth agape from coming face to face with her past self. Once again she forced herself to shake off the insanity and keep moving.
"It's just the bond, V," the merc said to herself. "She's not real." V continued up the steps, walking straight through the phantom of Dominator.
"HEY! Don't ignore me!"
Wander stared at the wall of cat statues with satisfaction. He had spent the last 10 minutes trying to get them to wave in unison and had finally succeeded. All 27 maneki-neko, as Misty called them, moved in synchronized harmony.
"Wow," Misty said. "It's kind of hypnotic to see them all moving together."
"It's all about the swing distance," Wander responded. "Once you figure that out, the timing is easy."
"Would you like to have one?"
"Really?" Wander gasped.
"Of course," Misty smiled. "Maneki-neko are said to bring good luck to their owners. That and they are cute to look at."
"I'll say." Wander reached into his hat and pulled out a coin bag. "Let's see… oh… hehe…" Wander took on an embarrassed grin when he saw the bag's contents. "You wouldn't happen to accept Binglebops tokens, would you?"
"Don't worry about paying me. Consider it a gift."
"Are you sure?"
"I am," Misty nodded and handed him one of the statues. "I just ask that you visit me from time to time. I've never seen an aura as bright and pure as yours. It makes me feel… hopeful."
"Thank you friend," Wander beamed. "I will cherish this manky necklo as the great gift it is."
Misty had to cover her mouth to not laugh at Wander's mispronunciation of the Japanese phrase. She was about to correct him, but was interrupted by V entering the shop.
"Alright, dorks. I'm no longer bleeding out, so it's time to delta," V announced as she stepped around the counter and to Misty's side. "You have any issues?" she asked her friend.
"Not at all," Misty laughed. "Wander is amazing company. And Sylvia has been checking out my crystal display this whole time." Both of the women looked to the far wall to see the Zbornak examining a large chunk of purple amethyst.
"Good to hear, I guess," V shrugged. Then she had a sudden shift in mood. Her face scrunched in anger as her right hand dropped her bag and went to her forehead.
"Are you alright?" Misty asked in concern.
"I'm fine," V quickly responded, sounding more annoyed than she intended. "Just um… just a headache." V picked up her back, but her gaze never left the spot next to the door.
"Did you let Vik know?"
"Of course. He said it's probably stress." V continued to stare at the same spot. "We should get going. Grab dinner and go home."
"One night, please," V told the teen boy behind the motel counter. "Two beds, if you got it."
"Two beds for one night. That will be 127€$," the boy said. V began to count out the money, which took a bit longer with only one hand. "Aren't you the Heywood Devil?"
"I am," V nodded as she handed him the cash. "As you can see, it's been a rough day," V pointed to her sling, "so let's hold off on the formalities."
"Of course, ma'am. You're in room 208." He handed her the key card, which V accepted.
"Not so much as a stutter," Dominator chimed in. "Remember when people were afraid of us?"
"Thanks," V nodded to the teen, still ignoring the voice in her head. She led Wander and Sylvia down hall and up the stairs to their room. She opened the door to find the phantom already sitting on one of the beds.
"Back in one of these hovels," Dominator shook her head. "And you can't even finger yourself this time."
"Grob, I'm tired," V sighed. She tossed her bag onto the bed next to the phantom, instantly wishing she chose the other. "You two get comfy. I'm gonna freshen up then find us some food."
"Thanks again, V," Sylvia said, taking a seat on the unclaimed bed. "I really didn't want to sleep outside. Not in this city."
"I'm only doing this because I need you."
"Oh, you're just saying that, because you don't want us to think you're a good guy," Wander teased.
"I'm not a good guy," V protested. "And I'm serious about needing you. When grop hits the fan, you two will be the only ones I can rely on."
"So you're using us?" Sylvia accused.
"No duh, dipstick!"
"I'm ok with that," Wander gave V a sympathetic smile. "We're here to help you. And you can help us help others."
"No, she won't," Sylvia deadpanned.
"No, I won't," V shook her head. "First rule of Earth: Survive by any means necessary."
"That's awfully pessimistic," Wander frowned.
"That's the truth. Now if you excuse me." V stepped into the tiny bathroom and closed the door behind her. The green alien took a deep breath, closing her eye to rest her senses. She opened her eye to see Dominator taking her place in the mirror.
"So, how we gonna do this?" Dominator asked. "Slit their throats while they sleep? Or should we just shoot them? Whatever we do, we need to kill the Zbornak first. Without her, the fuzz ball will be helpless."
"I'm not killing anyone," V said. "Not unless I'm getting paid."
"Fucking Christ! When did murder become a lame ass job?"
"When I stopped being you. Now beat it. I need to change my bandages."
"Uhg! Fine," Dominator pouted. V closed her eye for a second. When she opened it, her reflection was back to normal.
V removed the bandages from her head, revealing the empty, right eye socket. She turned on the faucet and began to wash her face. The hot water was soothing against her skin. The merc allowed herself to relax and stop thinking for a minute. V just focused on the warmth. The clean sensation.
"I miss having Volcanium X," Dominator sighed. "Can't get properly clean without superheated water."
"Oh, for fuck sake," V mumbled. She looked up to find Dominator leaning against the wall next to the sink. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
"I'm you, ya dingus," Dominator giggled. "I'm all the parts you've been repressing for your dearest Jackie."
"That's impossible," V said, trying to keep her voice below a whisper.
"No, what's impossible was you becoming a normal girl."
"Ghost off. How would you even know?"
"Because I know what you know. Except you're too much of a coward to admit it."
"Doesn't explain how we are talking to each other."
"You're the one who said breaking the bond could be dangerous." Dominator shrugged. "Maybe you really are losing your mind. Having arguments with your subconscious!" The phantom burst out in maniacal laughter, causing V to shrink back against the closed shower.
"Just go away," V cried.
"No can do, my little edgerunner. I'm a part of you. Always have been. Always will be." Dominator placed her hands on either side of V's head, leaning in close. "Come on now," she said, seductively slurring her words. "We could have fun again. Just embrace it. All you have to do is stop pretending."
"SHUT UP!" V shouted, trying to silence her mind to no avail.
There was a knock at the door.
"V?" Wander called out. "You doin' alright in there?"
Dominator let out a cheerful gasp. "Coo-coo," she mocked, spinning her fingers by her temples. Then she let out a final laugh before fading away.
V didn't move from her spot against the shower. She was shaking, too scared to speak or even think. Everything Dominator said was true. She was going insane, getting into fights with all of her darkest, repressed urges. And the worst part was that she had no clue how to fix it, or if she even could.
"V?" Wander knocked again.
She didn't answer, instead choosing to open the door. Wander stared up at her, a worried frown on his face.
"Why are you crying?" he asked.
V touched her fingers to her left cheek, and felt the light moistness of fresh tears. She didn't even realize she was crying. She wanted to speak but couldn't find words to express herself. V let out a soft, sad chuckle. The full weight of her predicament, along with the stress from the day was coming down on her. She sat on her bed, searched though her bag, and pulled out a fresh bandage roll.
"Could you wrap up my eye?" V asked Sylvia. Her voice was strained, sounding dead and depressed. "Kinda hard with only one hand."
"Sure, pal," Sylvia said, letting her empathetic side show.
Wander insisted that he accompany V to the All Foods market. V would have rather been alone for a while, but she didn't have the energy to argue with him. She did, however, convince Sylvia to stay behind. V wanted someone at the motel in case any corpos showed up. The Zbornak's orders were to fight if she could, and run if her life depended on it.
At the grocery store, V grabbed the essentials. She bought some soap, a 12-pack of bottled water, a basic medkit and painkillers, and some snacks. She also bought a six-pack of beer, though she wasn't sure if Wander or Sylvia would want any. Wander pushed the cart around while V guided him, keeping her head down to help ignore the staring. On their way back to the motel, they stopped at a sandwich deli. Their room didn't have a microwave, so they had to grab something to-go. Sandwiches seemed like a safe bet. V ordered a turkey club, while Wander got a veggie melt and an Italian Deluxe for Sylvia.
For the entire trip, V only spoke when necessary. She would tell Wander to grab something, or occasionally say something to refocus his attention away from whatever shiny thing had distracted the furry dork. She wasn't in the mood for small talk. And to Wander's credit, he seemed to understand that. As annoying at V found the Star Nomad, he was respectfully quiet for their supply run. He was content to follow the green edgerunner, wearing his goofy grin the whole time.
Back in the motel room, the three aliens sat in silence while they ate their sandwiches. V made a point to keep the TV remote away from her companions, her excuse being that most television in Night City was lame. While it was a little awkward, Sylvia and Wander didn't seem to mind the quite. They took it as a break from the city's ambient white noise.
"Why did you buy that?" V asks Wander, nodding to the maneki-neko Wander had placed on the television stand.
"Misty gave it to me as a gift," Wander answered. "She said that waving cat statues were good luck."
"I know what a maneki-neko is," V sighed. "Figures you two would get along."
"I thought Misty was your friend," Sylvia said.
"Ehhhh…. Friend is a strong word," V grimaced. She took a sip of her beer before continuing. "She's Jackie's childhood friend. I only talk to her when I visit Vik. He rents his apartment and clinic space from Misty."
"Well, she seems to think of you as a friend," Sylvia pointed out.
"She says it blatantly," V frowned. "Not that it means much. Girl is a spiritualist. She'll call anyone who bothers to give her the time of day her friend."
"Now, that's just being unfair," Sylvia scolded.
"Whatever," V rolled her eye. "I really don't have the energy to get into this with you." The green alien finished off her beer before reaching for a second. Wanting to be left alone, she tossed the TV remote to the Zbornak. "Here. Maybe you'll find something interesting. Just keep it off the news."
Sylvia quickly lost interest in the TV, as she couldn't understand what was being said. She resigned herself to reading though Wander's Galactic-to-English dictionary in silence while V cleaned off her pistol. Wander sat next to the edgerunner at the tiny, motel room desk, helping her a great deal.
"Now tighten those screws," V directed him. For once, she was happy to have the Star Nomad around, as trying to clean the gun with one hand would have been a nightmare. "Good, now we just need to wipe off the slide and we're finished."
"On it," Wander said, picking up the gun.
"Hey! Careful where you point that," V flinched as Wander accidently pointed the pistol at her. "I know it's empty, but you always treat a gun as if it's loaded."
"Sorry. Not used to holding anything like this." Wander corrected his grip and began to clean the outside. "Why does it say 'LEFT' on the side?"
"Oh, that?" V chuckled. "I did that as a joke. Jackie likes to duel wield pistols, and he's getting pretty good at it. I asked him how he knew which gun went in which hand. He said it didn't matter. I argued that it did, mostly just to tease. Later that day, I took my knife and etched 'LEFT' and 'RIGHT' into his pistols. Jackie was mad at first, but ended up embracing it. Now he says that they are a matching set."
"Kind of like you and him," Wander cheered.
V's smile slowly fell. Her mind was ripped back to the present as the happy memory faded away.
"Not anymore," V choked out. "That's over. All that's left is to move on."
"I wouldn't be too sure," Wander tried to comfort her. "Friends fight sometimes. Even Sylvia gets fed up with me occasionally."
"Shocker," V scoffed, but Wander continued.
"Even when we are furious with each other, we make up. It can take some time, but we know that we'll always be there our friends."
"That's you. Not me. Having friends isn't a luxury I get to enjoy."
"You always have me and Sylvia."
V didn't answer. She reloaded the pistol, not trusting Wander to not misfire the thing. She placed a magazine in her left hand with the right, and then slid the pistol over it. She used the same technique to pull the slide back and chamber a bullet.
"It's been a long day. We should get some rest." V stood up from the desk and placed the pistol by her pillow. Then she slid off her sling before climbing into bed.
Wander awoke from his spot on Sylvia's back. Despite being in an actual bed for once, they couldn't break their routine. Sylvia was curled up on top of the sheets, and Wander was lying on the Zbornak's back, using his hat as a sleeping bag. He had fallen asleep quite easily, despite the distant sounds of gunshots and sirens. The orange alien was more exhausted then he originally thought. After rubbing his eyes and letting out a quiet yawn, Wander tuned his ears to a new sound.
Soft sobs could be heard, and much closer than one would think. His first instinct was that the crying was coming from a neighboring room, but it was too clear for that. Turning his head, Wander noticed V's silhouette shaking against the dim, window light. Her form heaved with the sobs. Being careful not to wake Sylvia, the nomad pushed the hat off and away before hopping off the bed.
"V?" he whispered. The merc's form immediately seized up. "What's wrong?"
"Go back to sleep, Wander," V quietly choked out.
"Let's talk first," Wander said, climbing onto V's bed.
"This act of yours is really starting to get old," V sighed as she sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"It will help. I promise."
"Why do you keep insisting on helping me? After everything I've done? You should just walk away and let me suffer in peace."
"You know I can't do that," Wander spoke in an uncharacteristically serious tone. "I help because I know what it's like to be helpless. I've hit rock bottom, and I had to suffer alone to build myself back up. I don't want anyone else to feel the way I did."
"Please," V scoffed. "Half the people in this city are at rock bottom. If you're so insistent on making things better, then go help them."
"I will," Wander nodded. "But right now, I'm just going to focus on you."
V let out an exasperated sigh. "You can't help me, idiot."
"Let me try. Tell me everything that's bothering you."
"Everything?"
"Everything," Wander nodded with a smile.
"Alright, dumbass," V glared. "Let's start with the fact that the only person I ever dared to get close to now hates me for the things I've done. You know, destroying galaxies? As in more than one? And now that my identity is out, everyone from this galaxy is going to be making a beeline to Night City to finish me off. I can't bail and go home, because I destroyed my home planet and I'm the last of my kind. I can't go back to Mama Welles, because even if she doesn't hate me that still puts her in the line of fire. And to top it all off, the stress of the broken bond is making me hallucinate. My subconscious is quite literally driving me insane, and will probably try to kill me in the near future." As she spoke, her whispers grew frantic as the tears began to flow again. V had to pause to catch her breath.
"I have nothing left. And now, I'm going to die with nothing," V cried. "You should have let me go out with my ship." She spat the last part, pure, venomous hatred lacing her words.
Wander didn't respond right away. He embraced the silence, letting the words settle in. A few things didn't make sense to him, like V talking about some broken bond. He could ask for more details later, as the only thing that mattered was that it was worrying V. Wander thought over his words then spoke.
"I'm the last of my kind, too."
"Really?" V skeptically asked.
"I didn't destroy them, but I didn't do anything to help them either. When my family was in danger, I panicked and ran away. By the time I returned, everyone was dead. I was alone."
"Look, Wander," V frowned. "I get what you are trying to do, but you can't conflate survivor's guilt with mass genocide."
"Survivor's guilt?" Wander pondered the words before letting out a sad chuckle. "That's a pretty spot on description of my life."
"How so?"
"I'm old, V. As in a couple thousand years old. And I'll live for a couple thousand more. I outlived lots of friends before I met Sylvia. And I'll outlive lots more after she's gone." Wander's eyes were glued to the Zbornak, his closest friend. He didn't like pondering the deaths of his loved ones, but he couldn't avoid the sadness.
"Wow…" V muttered. "That's actually… kinda sad." The silence grew between them again. "I'm old, too. At least by Earth standards."
"How old is that?"
"I did the math a few weeks ago. I am approximately 126 Earth years. Give or take."
"Is that a lot?" Wander tilted his head in curiosity.
"I'm on par with the oldest Earthlings alive, despite physically being an elder teenager. Jackie is 24 and Mama is 49 for comparison. I think Misty is 20."
"I guess we have similar problems," Wander said with a sad smile.
"Not quite. Sure, I could live to 650, but I'll probably get killed long before then. Hell, I'll probably be dead by year's end."
"I hope not. You're fun to talk to."
"Fun?" V raised an eyebrow at the nomad. "Since when is debating entropy fun?"
"It's unique and interesting," Wander grinned. "I never get to have these deep talks with Sylvia or anyone really."
"Why's that? Is she too dumb, or are you too scared to bring it up?"
"The second one," Wander slumped.
"Yea. Me, too."
"Feel better?"
"I guess I do," V shrugged, "If only a little. I should be able to sleep now."
"Would you like me to stay with you?"
V didn't answer right away. She bit her lip and swayed back and forth, as if trying to make a decision.
"If I let you stay in my bed," she frowned angrily, falling back on her usual, tough girl mannerisms. "Do you promise to shut up and go to sleep?"
Wander enthusiastically nodded. A blind man could tell she wanted to say yes. V just had to say it in a way that gave her plausible deniability. He crawled under the covers with the green woman and hugged her right arm.
"Cuddling? Seriously?" V groaned.
"Yep. It's good for the soul," Wander quietly responded. V didn't hug him back. She didn't push him away, either.